Race Reports / Results 2010A Day with the Lowis Family - Race report by Margaret Lowis (Dec 09) How amazing Ian, Sarah, Jim & I did the Shed2 openwater triathlon at Hawkesbay Napier New Zealand.yesterday. Ian did his very first one 200mtr swim, We did the 750 in Pandora Pond (Pacific Ocean sounds & looks beautiful) but it was the windiest day for years and it was so choppy I thought I was going to have a stroke before I started. I eventually swam, floundered around and got out to a rigourous applause. They were probably relieved I had managed to get out!.After that it was fabulous, we had to hire mountain bikes. Couldnt get my hands on any road bikes.I had been in contact with Janette the organiser before we arrived. I was awarded a prize for travelling such a long way to live out my dream and ambition of open water swimming.Just managed to cram it into this year!! I would like to thank you all for your support and encouragement. Have a lovely Christmas and we will see you next year.
Netherhall 10mile Report 28/02/2010 - Race report by Barrie Henderson Runners – B Henderson (84.36), K Scott (76.40) Route – Netherhall School – Ellenborough - Dearham – Row Brow – Bullgill – Crosby Villa – Crosby – Birkby – Netherhall School First race of my year (I use the term race loosely as results prove). The Netherhall 10, a well organised and friendly race held by the Cumberland Athletic Club. I chose this event in preference to the High Cup Nick Fell race as I did not feel upto 9 miles on the fells, it turns out I was not upto 10 miles on the road either! After swimming and cycling on Sat morn (with Kevin) we decided we would do the race as we had talked about it the previous week but had not committed (Kevin with his ongoing hamstring problems and me, well, just lazy). The day was cold, but bright and dry so no excuses for a poor run. Approx 85 runners turned out, most local clubs were represented but some runners had come from further afield. As we waited for the start Kevin commented that I was wearing shorts and yesterday I said I would wear tights (it was colder then), he had put his tights on and now felt soft. It was like running with Gok Wan, being criticized on my choice of attair. The race started and the first mile is out of the town through Ellenborough and then up and up and up to Dearham. The hill as you may gather is endless, not desperately steep but just long. I had already lost sight of Kevin (infront). The second and third mile is through Dearham with only a short sharp hill before you head out to Row Brow. This section is quite flat and takes you through to the water station at about 5 miles. The run then turns left and heads out to Bullgill where Paul Dobson was waiting with camera in hand to greet us on about mile six. A few words of encouragement from him and a few expletives in reply from me seen him on his way to be met again on the finish line (he was riding my bike, knees around his armpits, it happend to be about 3 sizes too small). The route now heads out onto the A596 and past the attractive hamlet / row of houses of Crosby Villa (no offence residents, i’m sure it’s lovely) to mile seven. This is where things started to go wrong! Psychologically this is the hardest part of the run for me as its almost flat but not quite. I did not really see much on this stretch, mile eight and nine passed somewhere in here, as i was focused on my feet, head down, one foot in front of the other. The final stretch did go downhill for about half a mile but even this was not helping as I was still being passed, although I did manage to hold off a Vet 60 in the final 20 yards to the line. And so the finish was reached in 84 mins and 36 secs by me, with Kevin finishing in 76 mins and 40 secs. Well theres always next year.
Corryvreckan Swim It was 8.30 Saturday morning 5th June and 11 swimmers gathered together at the marina at Craobh Haven with one goal in mind – to swim across the Gulf of Corryvreckan. We came together through the Outdoor Swimming Society and travelled from all over the country as far away as Essex, Wales and Lincolnshire. The weather and sea conditions could not have been more perfect – almost mirror-like calm on the sea, barely a breath of wind in the air and sunshine breaking through the light clouds. Duncan Philips from Farsain Cruises skippered the main swimmers boat and a second support boat was provided by Tony Gill with Moon Raker. We made a short stop off at the Island of Shuna to collect the last one of our swimmers who had been holidaying on the island that week. Everything was coordinated perfectly – things could not have gone more smoothly! The atmosphere on the trip out was one of quiet anticipation mixed with excitement and I dare say a healthy dose of anxiety for some of us. Our skipper Duncan took the time to point out a few landmarks on the way out, including a small group of puffins bobbing about on the water. As we approached the Gulf we could see the texture of the sea change gradually from a consistent gentle ripple as the light wind ran across it to one of a busier more confused appearance, as the eddies and currents played with the water. Once we entered the Gulf the water changed again. Having read many accounts of people trying to describe this magnificent stretch of water I know how hard it is to find the right words to match the images it leaves you with, so this is my attempt! In amongst the eddies there appeared to be what I can only describe as mushrooms of water – anything up to 10 or 20 metres across, they seemed to suggest a calmness which you knew was deceptive and must be hiding the currents underneath. The head of the mushroom appeared calm and glassy, and later as we swam through them I found that my hands would enter the water and find no resistance there – I presume this was the down currents, it certainly freaked me out the first few times, it was unlike anything that I could have expected. We bobbed about in the Gulf for a while, as Duncan waited for the currents to subside. At one point he turned off the engine and let us drift – in 2-3 minutes we’d drifted almost half a mile! The water was so deceptive. While we waited, we sorted out who would be setting off in the first group of swimmers. As there were 12 of us and only 2 support boats, we had to organise ourselves into 2 groups so that we could all swim at similar speeds, and the boats could keep track of us all. After about 30-40 minutes Duncan said the time was right, he and Tony manoeuvred their boats to the dropping off point, and the first group of swimmers set off. Tony led the way heading a northerly course, we’d been told to follow the boats which would remain on a constant course but allow for a drift, otherwise if we tried to swim in a straight line and had to correct our course we’d exhaust ourselves swimming against the currents. Following the boats meant all we had to do was relax, swim and enjoy! Duncan judged the timing for the second group so that both groups would reach Scarba at roughly the same time – in water this cold you don’t want anyone to be hanging around for any great length of time. So about 8 minutes after the first group set off, we too leapt off the back of the boat and struck out across the Gulf. The water did feel cold – but nothing that we hadn’t all prepared for. We initially began planning this trip back in February so we had all had time to train in cold and challenging water. What I hadn’t been able to prepare for was the feel of the currents as you swam through the eddies and the ‘mushrooms’ – at several points I felt as if someone was shaking my body as I swam, I knew I was heading on a constant course but my senses told me my body was moving in all sorts of directions as the currents swished against me. I felt at ease in the water almost immediately – the depth below me didn’t seem a problem – maybe the clarity of the water helped. The sun streamed through the clear water and several times I felt mesmerised by the rays of light heading down into the water and stole long looks down into the depths, wondering how far down the sunlight reached. A few jellyfish drifted by – pretty pale pink and blue ones shimmying along in the currents. I kept one eye constantly on Duncan’s boat – he was there to lead the way and remained a reassuring presence. On a few occasions a sense of fear overtook me as I swam through the ‘mushrooms’ and felt the water disappear from my hand as I stroked through the sea – my imagination momentarily took my mind into thoughts of being drawn down through the seductive depths of the water below me. A quick glance around me at the rest of the group was enough to bring me back to reality, and I reminded myself to just keep swimming, follow the boat, relax, breath and enjoy these moments. And suddenly Scarba appeared in front of me – there was the rock, we had done it! I looked around to see where the others were – we were all pretty close to each other. The first group was about ¼ mile away – they had drifted, or maybe we had, but we had all completed it! We climbed back on to the boat and Duncan headed over to collect the others. I felt elated, almost speechless with what I’d done, words didn’t seem adequate to express how I felt, and I also felt a sadness that it was over so quickly – we’d got across in about 20 minutes. The water was so clear and beautiful I wanted to get back in! Then cold hit me and I started shaking. That’s when the hard work started – trying to get out of a wet wetsuit with hands like claws and no strength in them at all. A couple of the others helped me out of it in the end, and the skipper had the kettles on with plenty hot drinks to go round, and jelly babies! The boat was alive with everyone talking about their experience as we headed back to land. What a day! What a swim, and what a fantastic bunch of swimmers to do it with – some of whom I knew, some of whom were previously just a name on a Facebook page, but we all had something else in common now – we had swum the Corryvreckan!
|
